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Let´s Bring Jiří Trnka´s Puppets Back To Life

We have looked after the puppets created by our famous ancestor, but we don't have the means to repair all of them. With your help, we want to restore the puppets from A Midsummer Night's Dream and to display them at the largest exhibition of Jiří Trnka.

EUR 17,322

pledged of
EUR 9,673

179%

179% completed

362 contributors pledged

Choose reward for your contribution

27
WE ARE IN TOUCH

We will open the exhibition in the GASK Gallery in October 2019. Until then we will
inform you every month about how our preparations are progressing.

In the email we attach a picture from the
little chimneys series which Jiří Trnka drew for his children. These are drawings from the family archive, which so far nobody except us has seen.

🌞
You can increase the amount as much as you wish 🌞
Suitable for EN contributors

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 7.74

(CZK 200)

24
from 30
SCREENINGS WITH ANIMATION WORKSHOP

The
Free Cinema organization holds regular weekend screenings for children of all ages in
Kasárná Karlín. The films are followed by an animation workshop.

- tickets for two to any screening at Kino KK for children in Prague

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a week

EUR 11.61

(CZK 300)

85
from 100
GIFT SET

Christmas gift set with illustrations from the books of Jiří Trnka.

- pexeso - magnet - Christmas postcard

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 11.61

(CZK 300)

Sold out!!
FIREFLIES

The collaboration by Jan Karafiát and illustrator Jiří Trnka on the legendary fairy tale
Fireflies.

-
bookFireflies -
pexesowith illustrations from the book
-
greeting card with illustrations from the book

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 15.48

(CZK 400)

1
from 30
THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Illustration by Jiří Trnka from the popular fairy tale book
The Gingerbread House by Václav Renč.

-
bookThe Gingerbread House -
posterwith illustrations
-
reproductions from the book

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 15.48

(CZK 400)

Sold out!!
TICKETS TO PONREPO CINEMA

Ponrepo is the cinema of the National Film Archive located in the centre of Prague and famous for once housing the studio of Jiří Trnka. It currently screens mostly repertory films and films you wouldn't normally see elsewhere.

-
1x membership card to the Ponrepo cinema (allows purchase of discounted tickets all year round)
-
4x free admission to any screening at the Ponrepo cinema

Reward delivery: In a month

5
from 10
BADMINTON WITH MATYÁŠ

Matyáš Trnka is a long-time and experienced badminton player. In a training course he will teach you his favourite shots and tricks which will make you unbeatable.

- 1 hour on the badminton court with Matyáš Trnka in Prague

🎁🎄
Suitable as a Christmas gift, for which we will issue you a voucher.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 38.69

(CZK 1,000)

18
from 20
TRNKA'S GARDEN

Jiří Trnka's favourite flowers were pansies, which we will plant for you in the garden of the home where he lived for years. We will place a sign with your name next to them and keep a documentary record of the work.

- your pansies in our garden and photograph

🎁🎄
Suitable as a Christmas gift, for which we will issue you a voucher.

Reward delivery: In a quarter

EUR 58.04

(CZK 1,500)

Sold out!!
JIŘÍ TRNKA SILVER COIN

The coin was made on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jiří Trnka. The front side depicts a stop motion image of the elf character from the film
A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Reward delivery: In a month

Animation workshop with original puppets from the film Ancient Bohemian Legends led by Matyáš Trnka in the
Animániestudio in Pilsen. Try your hand at writing a short screenplay, which you will then animate with the puppets. Each participant will receive a digital copy of their film.

1
from 3
ORIGINAL TRNKA GRAPHIC

🎄📦
Suitable for international contributors. Postage will be added to the amount.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 1,934.61

(CZK 50,000)

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Jiří Trnka

The Czech Year, The Emperor's Nightingale, Prince Bayaya, Old Czech Legends and A Midsummer Night's Dream

Between 1946 and 1965, Jiří Trnka worked on 16 films for which he designed or produced more than 130 film puppets. In the decades since, many of them were irretrievably lost, others are lying in dusty boxes in depositories hidden from the eyes of the public, and those that were eventually found and saved are often in such bad condition that they cannot be displayed. The production of film puppets is very demanding, requiring special materials that can meet the challenging requirements of filmmaking. But it is not possible to preserve them permanently. The original polymetal skeletons of the puppets corrode, the leather elements lose their elasticity, the fabrics deteriorate, the glue decomposes, and the painting from the faces of the puppets is lost. The condition of some of the puppets therefore cannot be classified other than as critical.

The son and grandson of Jiří Trnka

We are aware of the duty we have to our famous ancestor and his work. We therefore continually look after the puppets, buy more from private collectors, and have them restored as far as our financial means allow. Only thanks to these efforts were the visitors of the successful Pilsen 2015 exhibition able to see the original puppets from the films of Jiří Trnka. However, we do not have the ability and financial means to repair all of the puppets. The restoration work is costly and, taking into account all of the technological demands, also time-consuming. We therefore appeal to the cooperation of state and private entities, and thanks to this campaign, also the wider public.

We are returning the puppets to the public

For the crowdfunding campaign, we have chosen 10 puppets from the film A Midsummer Night's Dream which we want to restore and return to the public by means of planned exhibitions. In October 2019, we will open the largest retrospective exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the death of Jiří Trnka in the GASKGallery in Kutná Hora, where we will display the restored puppets for the first time. Other exhibitions will follow.

We also want to present the restored puppets to people who don't see the exhibition. Modern technology offers many ways of doing this. We will transfer the puppets into 3D form, creating digital models that will never succumb to the ravages of time. In addition, it will be possible to easily exhibit them and screen them abroad, place them on the internet, etc. The next step is to create a short virtual reality documentary video. In addition to presenting 3D models of the film puppets, this more or less interactive video should also present scenes from the original film A Midsummer Night's Dream in which the puppets were featured, their damaged condition, subsequent restoration and resulting condition.

How are we working with Jiří Trnka's legacy for the long term?

In 2015, we used materials from the family archive and under the name Trnka's Garden 2 created a unique interactive project combining elements of an exhibition, theatre performance and animated film, which was part of the celebrations of the city of Pilsen upon being named European Capital of Culture. Trnka's Garden is playful and interactive, and brings together young and older viewers. We presented it in several Czech cities, always attracting around 20,000 viewers in each.

Let's bring Jiří Trnka's puppets back to life

Restoring the work of Jiří Trnka is too much for our family alone. We therefore decided to bring the puppet restoration project to the public and offer you gifts thematically connected with this artist in the lead up to the Christmas season. By purchasing them, you will save more than just the puppets. Together we can preserve the child's joy in each of us for future generations.

In total there are 20 puppets from the filmA Midsummer Night's Dream to be restored, but our target amount for the campaign has been set at only half of them. If you work together with us we can save still many more.

News

Dec 5, 2018
Jan Pinkava supports Jiří Trnka´s Puppets Back To Life

Jan Pinkava is film director of Pixar´s films Geri's Game and Ratatouille.

Project links

Comments

Choose reward for your contribution

27
WE ARE IN TOUCH

We will open the exhibition in the GASK Gallery in October 2019. Until then we will
inform you every month about how our preparations are progressing.

In the email we attach a picture from the
little chimneys series which Jiří Trnka drew for his children. These are drawings from the family archive, which so far nobody except us has seen.

🌞
You can increase the amount as much as you wish 🌞
Suitable for EN contributors

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 7.74

(CZK 200)

24
from 30
SCREENINGS WITH ANIMATION WORKSHOP

The
Free Cinema organization holds regular weekend screenings for children of all ages in
Kasárná Karlín. The films are followed by an animation workshop.

- tickets for two to any screening at Kino KK for children in Prague

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a week

EUR 11.61

(CZK 300)

85
from 100
GIFT SET

Christmas gift set with illustrations from the books of Jiří Trnka.

- pexeso - magnet - Christmas postcard

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 11.61

(CZK 300)

Sold out!!
FIREFLIES

The collaboration by Jan Karafiát and illustrator Jiří Trnka on the legendary fairy tale
Fireflies.

-
bookFireflies -
pexesowith illustrations from the book
-
greeting card with illustrations from the book

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 15.48

(CZK 400)

1
from 30
THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE

Illustration by Jiří Trnka from the popular fairy tale book
The Gingerbread House by Václav Renč.

-
bookThe Gingerbread House -
posterwith illustrations
-
reproductions from the book

Delivery only in the Czech Republic.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 15.48

(CZK 400)

Sold out!!
TICKETS TO PONREPO CINEMA

Ponrepo is the cinema of the National Film Archive located in the centre of Prague and famous for once housing the studio of Jiří Trnka. It currently screens mostly repertory films and films you wouldn't normally see elsewhere.

-
1x membership card to the Ponrepo cinema (allows purchase of discounted tickets all year round)
-
4x free admission to any screening at the Ponrepo cinema

Reward delivery: In a month

5
from 10
BADMINTON WITH MATYÁŠ

Matyáš Trnka is a long-time and experienced badminton player. In a training course he will teach you his favourite shots and tricks which will make you unbeatable.

- 1 hour on the badminton court with Matyáš Trnka in Prague

🎁🎄
Suitable as a Christmas gift, for which we will issue you a voucher.

Reward delivery: In a month

EUR 38.69

(CZK 1,000)

18
from 20
TRNKA'S GARDEN

Jiří Trnka's favourite flowers were pansies, which we will plant for you in the garden of the home where he lived for years. We will place a sign with your name next to them and keep a documentary record of the work.

- your pansies in our garden and photograph

🎁🎄
Suitable as a Christmas gift, for which we will issue you a voucher.

Reward delivery: In a quarter

EUR 58.04

(CZK 1,500)

Sold out!!
JIŘÍ TRNKA SILVER COIN

The coin was made on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jiří Trnka. The front side depicts a stop motion image of the elf character from the film
A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Reward delivery: In a month

Animation workshop with original puppets from the film Ancient Bohemian Legends led by Matyáš Trnka in the
Animániestudio in Pilsen. Try your hand at writing a short screenplay, which you will then animate with the puppets. Each participant will receive a digital copy of their film.